The present invention relates to an electrically driven aircraft cabin and ventilation and environmental control system.
Many of today""s aircraft use the extraction of thrust engine compressor bleed air to power the aircraft cabin and cargo ventilation system and environmental control system (ECS). The extraction of engine cycle compressor core bleed air places a significant penalty on the engine cycle, reducing engine efficiency. Much of the power inherent in the extracted bleed air is purposely wasted in the bleed air control and distribution system to ensure that the hot bleed air conforms to aircraft material limits, before it is delivered to the ECS. In addition, the bleed air extraction and distribution equipment required to use engine bleed is expensive to purchase and install, and relatively unreliable.
Modern aircraft ventilation systems fail to use the energy contained in cabin exhaust air efficiently. Conventionally, this air is continually dumped overboard. At high altitudes, this exhaust air has useable energy based on the pressure differential with ambient and enthalpy content. At lower altitudes, where the air pressure differential is not significant, this air may be a relatively cool heat sink.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a system wherein aircraft onboard electric power is used to run the cabin pressurization and ventilation system, and the environmental control system.
The foregoing object is attained by the electrically driven aircraft cabin ventilation and environmental control system of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, an electrically driven aircraft cabin ventilation and environmental control system comprises means for capturing ram air, electrically driven means for pressurizing the ram air, and means for thermally conditioning the pressurized ram air. The means for thermally conditioning the pressurized ram air may utilize additional ram air and/or cabin exhaust air to carry out the thermal conditioning. The system further has a means for removing undesirable moisture from the conditioned stream.
A method for delivering conditioned air to an aircraft cabin broadly comprises the steps of capturing ram air, pressurizing at least a portion of the ram air with an electrically driven compressor, thermally conditioning the pressurized ram air, and delivering the thermally conditioned ram air to the aircraft cabin.
By employing electric power as the power source for the aircraft cabin ventilation and environmental control system rather than bleed air, the present invention contributes to the elimination of engine bleed equipment, as well as eliminating all the hot air, high pressure valves and ducting of the pneumatic distribution system from the engine bleed system to the ECS.
Other details of the electrically driven aircraft cabin ventilation and environmental control system of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict like elements.